The Pulse, The Passion, The Power
There are numbers you can look up in a spreadsheet — 2.085 million Brazilians in the U.S., (Source: Itamaraty, Brazilian Foreign Affairs), the largest Brazilian community outside Brazil — and then there’s what those numbers feel like.
That feeling is a crowd in yellow and green, singing “Sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho” loud enough to rattle the steel beams of a stadiums in Boston, Orlando, Miami.
It’s the taste of barbecue in multiple Brazilian Steak Houses in Massachusetts and across the country, bakery on a snowy morning, the flash of a Flamengo and Palmeiras jersey in a Florida mall, the hum of Portuguese over lunch in Newark.
This isn’t just immigration.
It’s migration with melody — a movement that has reshaped cities, industries, and scoreboards across the United States.
Where They Land — and Why
Florida tops the list with 600k, 27% of Brazilians in the U.S., followed by Massachusetts 500k (21%), California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Connecticut. The dots on the map connect like this:
• Florida is the second home of Brazil’s heart — from Miami’s beaches to Orlando’s neighborhoods, where every churrascaria feels like a family reunion.
• Massachusetts is the voice of Brazilian sports in America — where WBIX1260, Nossa Radio USA calls Patriots @ Revolution games in Portuguese and Boston neighborhoods hum with samba in July.
• California offers opportunity in tech and film; New Jersey/New York in commerce; Texas in energy; Connecticut in construction and skilled trades.
The Money Trail — From Paychecks to Pão de Queijo Back Home
In 2023, Brazilians in the U.S. sent over $2 billion in remittances to Brazil — more than half of Brazil’s total remittance inflow. That’s millions of rent payments, medical bills, and school tuitions in towns from Manaus to Porto Alegre.
Behind that transfer receipt is a story:
a construction worker and a house cleaner in Framingham finishing a 12-hour shift; a business owner in Pompano closing a big deal; a Florida truck driver sending part of his paycheck so his nephew can start college.
Buying America — One Florida Condo at a Time
Brazilians are now a top-5 international buyer group in Florida, purchasing 6% of all foreign-bought properties (Aug 2023–Jul 2024) and ranking #2 in total dollar volume (~$695M).
From Miami high-rises to Orlando vacation homes, these purchases aren’t just investments — they’re statements: we belong here.
The Stadium as a Second Home
If you want to see Brazilians in America at their most visible, go to a soccer match.
At the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the U.S., Brazilian clubs didn’t just play — they turned every stadium into a home game. Yellow and green flags waved in Miami, Philadelphia and New Jersey; drums and chants rolled like thunder; Nossa Radio USA, Brazilian radio broadcasted their matches in the Portuguese Language in around the country, indeed we all noted the “Brazilian takeover” of stands.
And it’s only a rehearsal.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will bring that energy to a boil. Expect fan zones in Boston, Miami, and New York to pulse with live samba, and kids in Neymar jerseys juggling balls in between matches. For Brazilians, it’s not just sport — it’s a declaration:
We bring the soul, and we bring the sound.
Tourism: From Orlando Turnstiles to Outlet Mall Checkouts
Brazil is the #2 overseas market for Orlando tourism, sending ~697,200 visitors in 2024 alone. They pour billions into hotels, restaurants, and theme parks — and in peak seasons, Portuguese is almost as common as English at Disney or Universal.
The Brazilian traveler is high-spending, family-oriented, and repeat-visiting. They return because Florida feels like a cousin’s house — warm, familiar, and always ready for a party.
From São Paulo to Wall Street
Brazilian companies are deeply embedded in the U.S. economy:
• Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) assembles executive jets in Melbourne, FL.
• Braskem is the largest polypropylene producer in America.
• Gerdau runs long-steel plants across the South and Midwest.
• Itaú, Bradesco, and Banco do Brasil operate U.S. branches and investment arms.
• Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and Vale (NYSE:VALE) supply oil and iron that keep American industries running.
When these companies ring the opening bell on the NYSE, they’re not “foreign” — they’re part of the U.S. business bloodstream.
The Creative Lesson
The Brazilian story in America is not just about how many live here or where they work. It’s about the voice on the radio calling a Patriots touchdown in Portuguese in Gillette Stadium, and the scent of feijoada in a Connecticut kitchen on a winter afternoon.
That’s the hook. That’s the difference between a spreadsheet… and a standing ovation.
Brazil in the U.S. is a fusion of economic muscle, cultural electricity, a passion for sports and relentless optimism.
It’s in the stock exchange tickers and the supermarket aisles, in the roar of a stadium and the whisper of a lullaby.
The question isn’t how many Brazilians are here.
The question is: what happens when we finally see them — not as a number, but as a force?
